Analog to digital converter



J1me 1956 L. l. GOLDFISCHER ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERTER Filed March 29, 1954 NON COND CTIVE CONDUCT\VE oooa TO ALL CONDUCTNE 26 SEGMENTS IN V EN TOR.

LE STEE I. GOLDHSCHEZ w ww ATTORNEY In the Gray application brush selection is made by a system of sequentially operated relays. The first brush operates a relay with a single pole double throw switch which connects the next preceding leading or lagging brush to the circuit. The brush thus selected operates another relay which selects the proper brush of the next preceding pair, and so on. The disadvantage of this arrangement lies in the time required to read out the converter. The relays operate sequentially so that, in the most unfavorable case, the time required for reading out must be at least as great as the time of operation of one relay multiplied by one less than the number of rings on the commutator. If the commutator has many rings, as is usually the case, the time involved can become quite large.

In the present invention each brush is connected to a separate relay winding. The opposite ends of all the windings are connected together and to the other terminal of the source or" potential connected to the commutator segments. Each relay operates a single pole double throw switch having one normally open and one normally closed contact. The brush 15 is connected to a relay winding 25 which operates a switch having an armature 27, a normally open contact 28 and a normally closed contact 29. Similarly brush 18 is connected to a relay winding 31 which operates a switch having an armature 32, a normally open contact 33 and a normally closed contact 34; brush 19 is connected to a relay winding 35 which operates a switch having an armature 36, a normally open contact 37 and a normally closed contact 33; brush 2t) is connected to a relay winding 39 which operates a switch having an armature 41, 21 normally open contact 42 and a normally closed contact 43; brush 21 is connected to a relay winding 44- which operates a switch having an armature 45, a normally open contact 46 and a normally closed contact 47. The foregoing arrangement is continued for as many rings as there may be on the commutator.

The armature 27 associated with the brush 15 is connected to a source of potential represented by the terminal 48. The normally closed contact 29 is connected to the armature 32 which is a part of the switch associated with the leading brush 1%. The normally open contact 23 is connected to an output terminal 51 and is also connected through a rectifier 52 to the armature 36 which is associated with the neXt preceding lagging brush 19.

The normally closed contacts of the switches associated with each pair of brushes are connected together and to the armature of the switch associated with the next preceding leading brush. As shown in the figure, normally closed contacts 34 and 33 are connected together and also connected to the armature 41. The normally open contacts of each pair of switches are connected together, to an output terminal and also connected through a rectifier to the armature of the switch associated with the next preceding lagging brush. In the drawing, these connections are illustrated by the connection together of normally open contacts 33 and 37 which are connected to an output terminal 53 and which are also connected through a rectifier 54 to the armature 45. Similar connections are made for the switches associated with all of the remaining brushes. In addition to output terminals 51 and 53, output terminals 55 and s are provided and are connected as above described. The potential condition of these terminals 51, 53, 55 and 56 represents the desired binary digital output. Terminal 56 represents the most significant digit while terminal 51 represents the least significant digit.

In operation, the commutator comprising rings 11, 12, i3 and 14 is rotated by the input shaft and as it rotates the various brushes bearing upon the rings have, or have not, potentials impressed upon them according to whether they bear on conductive or nonconductive segments As soon as any brush bears upon a conductive segment its r the invention.

associated relay operates immediately and independently of the operation of all the other relays. In the position of brushes shown in the drawing, the brush 18 has just started to make contact with a conductive segment and has already energized relay 3]., thus moving the armatrue 32 to make contact with the contact 33. This may be thought of as an advance operation since, at this point, the position of armature 32 is immaterial to the digit indicated by the output terminal 53.

in the position shown, it can be seen by inspection that the proper binary number is 0101 and this number appears on the output terminals as follows: the brush 15 is on a conductive segment so that relay 26 is energized thereby moving armature 27 so that it engages contact 28. The positive potential flows through armature 27 and contact 28 directly to the output terminal 51 thereby indicating digit one. The brush 18 is making contact with a conductive segment so as to energize winding 31 while the winding 35 remains deenergized. Inspection of the drawing shows that no potential can reach output terminal 53 so that this terminal indicates the digit zero.

Brushes 2t and 21 have energized windings 39 and 44 respectively and the positive potential reaches the output terminal 55 through the armature 27, contact 28, rectifier 52, armature 36, contact 38, armature 41, and contact 42 so that terminal 55 indicates the digit one. Inspection of the drawing shows that no potential can reach the output terminal 56 so that this terminal indicates the digit zero.

The rectifiers such as 52. and 5d are necessary to prevent back circuits from placing a potential on those output terminals which should read zero. For example, in the absence of rectifier 54, the potential appearing on output terminal 55 would flow through contact 46 and armature .5 to the output terminal 53. However, the rectifier 54 prevents this erroneous indication.

If the apparatus is connected to an auxiliary system requiring an indication only when a read out pulse is applied, such a pulse need only be slightly longer than the operation time of one relay, since all relays required to be energized are connected in parallel and will operate simultaneously.

Although a specific embodiment has been described, many modifications may be made within the scope of It is obvious that a cylindrical commutator would have the rings closely adjacent or that a disk commutator could be used. In fact, a disk commutator is particularly appropriate because of the increasing tolerance of brush spacing for the rings nearer the center. Many other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. A system for translating the potential condition of all of the brushes of a multi-ring double brush binary converter to a potential condition of a plurality of output conductors equal in number to the number of rings so as to obtain a binary digital output comprising, a relay stage for each ring, the last stage including a single relay having a winding connected to the single brush and a single pole double throw switch operated thereby, each remaining relay stage including first and second relays having windings connected to the leading and lagging brushes respectively and first and second single pole double throw switches operated by said first and second windings respectively, a source of potential connected to the armature of said last stage switch, an output conductor for each stage, means for connecting the normally open contacts of each stage to the corresponding output conductors, means for applying the potential of each output conductor to the armature of the second switch of the next preceding stage, means for preventing the application of the potential of each output conductor to the output conductor of the next succeeding stage and means for applying a potential to the armature of the first switch of each stage only when there is no potential on the output conductor of the next succeeding stage.

2. In an electrical commutator system for representing the angular position of a shaft as the potential condition of a plurality of output conductors in which the commuta tor includes a plurality of rings of alternately arranged conductive and nonconductive segments and having a pair of brushes bearing on each ring except the ring having the greatest number of segments which ring has but a single brush, an improved apparatus for applying potentials to the output conductors in response to the potential condition of the various brushes comprising an output conductor for each ring, a relay stage for each ring, the stage for the ring having the greatest number of segments comprising a single relay, each remaining stage comprising first and second relays, each relay having an operating winding which, when energized, closes a normally open contact and opens a normally closed contact, means for connecting the operating winding of the last stage relay to the single brush, means for connecting the operating winding of the first and second relays of each remaining stage to the corresponding leading and lagging brushes respectively, a source of potential connected to the armature of the last stage switch, means for connecting the normally open contacts of each stage to the corresponding output conductor, means for connecting each output conductor through a rectifier to the armature of the second switch of the next preceding stage, and means for connecting the normally closed contacts of each stage to the armature of the first switch of the next preceding stage.

3. A system for translating the potential condition of all of the brushes of a multi-ring double brush binary converter to a potential condition of a plurality of output conductors equal in number to the number of rings so as to obtain a binary digital output comprising, a relay stage for each ring, the last stage including a single relay having a winding connected to the single brush and a single pole double throw switch operated thereby, each remaining relay stage including first and second relays having windings connected to the leading and lagging brushes respectively and first and second single pole double throw switches operated by said first and second windings respectively, means for connecting the normally closed contact of said last stage switch to the armature of the first switch of the next preceding stage, means for connecting the normally open contact of said last stage switch to an output conductor and, through a rectifier, to the armature of the second switch of the next preceding stage, a source of potential connected to the armature of said last stage switch, means for connecting the normally closed contacts of the first and second switches of each remaining stage together and to the armature of the first switch of the next preceding stage, and means for connecting the normally open contacts of the first and second switches of each remaining stage together, to an output conductor, and, through a rectifier, to the armature of the second switch of the next preceding stage.

4. Apparatus for representing the angular position of a shaft as a binary digital quantity comprising, a commutator mounted for rotation by said shaft, said commutator comprising a plurality of rings each divided into equal length alternately arranged conductive and nonconductive segments, the number of segments doubling on succeeding rings, a source of potential having one terminal connected to all of said conductive segments, a single brush bearing on the ring having the greatest number of segments, a pair of brushes bearing on each remaining ring, the brushes of each pair being displaced circumferentially in opposite directions from a line through said first brush perpendicular to the circumference of said rings by an amount less than one-half the length of a segment on that ring on which the brushes are bearing, whereby one brush of each pair leads and one lags the normal position, a first relay associated with said single brush, a pair of relays comprising a leading and a lagging relay associated with each pair of brushes, each of said relays having one normally closed contact and one normally open contact, means for connecting each brush to one terminal of the operating winding of its associated relay, means for connecting the other terminal of each winding to the other terminal of said source of potential, means for connecting the normally closed contacts of each pair of relays together and to the movable armature of the next preceding leading relay, means for connecting the normally open contacts of each pair of relays together, to an output terminal, and, through a rectifier, to the movable armature of the next preceding lagging relay, means for connecting the normally closed contact of said first relay to the movable armature of the next preceding leading relay, means for connecting the normally open contact of said first relay to an output conductor and, through a rectifier, to the movable armature of the next preceding lagging relay, and a source of potential connected to the movable armature of said first relay.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,405,603 Parker Aug. 13, 1946 2,630,562 Johnson Mar. 3, 1953 2,666,912 Gow et a1 Jan. 19, 1954 

